SOCCER/Uefa Cup/Middlesbro - 1 Roma - 0: Having dined out at a restaurant in a market town on Wednesday night and toured York yesterday, Roma must have kicked off feeling fully immersed in English culture. Luciano Spalletti's side were in for an unpleasant shock, though, as Aiyegbeni Yakubu's early penalty and Boro's Italianesque defending consigned them to a first-leg defeat without even the consolation of an away goal.
While securing an aggregate victory in the Stadio Olimpico next Wednesday remains a far from straightforward proposition for Steve McClaren's side, Boro know a quarter-final place is now within touching distance.
McClaren's decision to field two strikers, with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in a withdrawn role behind Yakubu, and resisting the temptation to deploy a five-man defence was swiftly rewarded.
When the impressive Gaizka Mendieta threaded an astute pass through the Italian backline for Hasselbaink to chase, the forward cleverly angled his penalty-area advance to invite a collision with Gianluca Curci. Sure enough, the Italy under-21 goalkeeper's challenge for the ball succeeded only in clipping Boro's number nine, who tumbled under the contact.
The referee had little option but to award a penalty. The kick was taken by Yakubu, who opted for placement rather than power and sent Curci the wrong way.
Unbeaten in 16 games and having recently recorded 11 consecutive wins, Roma are Italy's form team but with the talismanic Francesco Totti and Vincenzo Montella injured, their line-up lacked a recognised striker.
But Boro were starting to slip back into that bad old habit of defending too deep in the second half. When Perrotta pulled out wide to the right and escaped the massed red shirts just long enough to cross menacingly into the area, Chris Riggott was required to make an interception to prevent Mancini swiping a boot at the ball as Boro suddenly looked in danger.
They must have belatedly remembered that Steve Gibson, the club chairman, had urged them to give the crowd reason to "Rock the Riverside."
Guardian Service
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Davies, Riggott, Southgate, Pogatetz, Mendieta, Boateng, Cattermole, Downing (Queudrue 90), Yakubu (Viduka 81), Hasselbaink. Subs Not Used: Jones, Parlour, Doriva, Maccarone, McMahon. Booked: Riggott. Goals: Yakubu 12 pen.
ROMA: Curci, Panucci, Kuffour, Mexes, Cufre, Dacourt (Aquilani 84), Kharja, Taddei (Okaka Chuka 61), Amantino, Tommasi (Alvarez 73), Perrotta. Subs Not Used: Pipolo, Bovo, Chivu, Rosi. Booked: Perrotta, Mexes.
Referee: Alain Sars (France).
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